This Summers Rubbish, But Hopefully The Cricket's Not.

Ok folks, here we go.  Welcome to the first ever edition of Couch Touch Pause Engage, or CTPE as some people are calling it……

Now, due to the title you could be forgiven for thinking that this blog is solely about Rugby. I would hate to say it but you would be incorrect in thinking so.  Couch Touch Pause Engage will be covering all codes of sport, and on the odd occasion, if the price is right, even some non-sporting issues. 

Now given the time of year it only seems appropriate that we start with the upcoming Cricket series with New Zealand agasint the Proteas and the recently completed series against the Zimbo’s.  Yes Super whatever number we are up to now is beginning soon but there is plenty of time to get to that, and besides, it’s still SUMMER MAN!!!!!

So, to the Zimbo’s we go and what a series that was.  A record victory in the sole Test Match, a record victory or two in the ODI’s and a close call in the last T20.  So what do we make of all this???  Firstly, one has to be honest, Zimbabwe are rubbish!  They would struggle to knock off a domestic team in New Zealand let alone a glamour side from India, Australia or even, and I’m loathed to say it, but England.  So NZ played the latest bunch of folks that Mr Mugabe & Co could round up and we pumped them.  Was it all a waste of time and simply an exercise in inflaming some the biggest ego’s in cricket?  Or was it a meaningful warm up before the business end of the season begins and the Saffa’s come to town?

Here’s where I stand for what it’s worth.

For a start a record win in the Test match was not a bad beginning.  It seemed the 'Black Caps' kept their heads down and did the best they could against an opposition that offered fairly little, but at least the job was done in a fairly workman like fashion.  The lost in translation ODI’s, apart from knowing whether or not they are still popular anymore were another sign that this series was perhaps going to be more useful than first thought.  New Zealand played convincingly and there were stand out performances littered in amongst some great results. 

However the T20’s is where I have a real problem.  Yes they are popular indeed, and I believe a good thing for cricket.  But the results are my issue.  Again the 'Black Caps' started strongly and yes they used a number of different players for this particular part of the series, but the 'Black Caps' of old seemed to creep back in, yet again.  Isn’t this a new era for New Zealand Cricket?  New Coach, New Captain, both who have now had some time to get accustomed to their new plush surroundings, and a new CEO. 

The second T20 match and the last of the series, so a perfect opportunity to finish of the much weaker opposition with a commanding clean sweep, comes along and Zim score 200!  Their highest ever T20 score too by the way.  If I had a dollar for every country that has a highest score record against NZ, I’d say I’d be a wealthy man.  Yes NZ scrapped home and won the game with two balls to spare, and yes scoring over 200 as they did to beat them is an achievement in itself as 20 overs is a tiny amount of time in which to accumulate 200 runs.

But, how did the bowling department, yet again, become so complacent as to think that all they had to do to win was literally turn up and this feeble and pathetic bunch of fellows from somewhere over there would just roll over, instead of taking their one last chance at some redemption and pride for a series of absolute spankings and actually play some decent cricket. 

So again, have we seen the days of old come back to haunt the ‘Black Caps’, still possibly one of the worst names in international sport?  Are we seeing a re-awakening of a culture of massive gear bags and even bigger ego’s?  I thought John Wright was supposed to be bringing this group back down to earth?  What does it say of a team when their captain is missing they let the foot off the gas and start rolling down the hill to collect the trophy, thank you very much for the tidy pay check too.

One can only hope that before the Proteas had recovered from their jetlag and completed their warm up game against Canterbury, John Wright and whoever else ( I hope not Gilbert Enoka for everyone's sake) was needed, called the group together and laid down the law for what is to be expected against a Proteas side that is in commanding form coming off the back of a series against Sri Lanka in which they dominated basically every match! 

If the Black Caps turn up with any attitude other than the most professional and quietly confident in their own ability whilst being respectful of the talents of their opposition they will be in for a very long and bumpy ride, and unfortunately, one that probably won’t include having the latest silverware being thrown in the boot on the way home.

So until next week, keep going balls to the wall!